A Conversation for Murphy's Law

Sense of logic

Post 1

Tenacious-T

If it were true that anything that can go wrong will go wrong, then it can be logically derived that for something that has gone right, there was absolutely no possibility for it to go wrong. But, still stuck in this chain of logic, it is very well possible that this post never reaches your computer screens, say, due to some cataclysmic disaster, destroying the entire universe. Yet, as you can read, it has.
I now have logic telling me that this message couldn't have reached you despite of the fact that it has.
I'm not saying Murphy's Law is incorrect. I'd rather assume my sense of logic has failed me horribly, it is much more fun if I could believe in it. Please enlighten me.


Sense of logic

Post 2

undergroundroguenine

Anything that can go wrong will go wrong is only the paraphrase. I think it is often true, but not all the time. For example, it could be interpreted the way you did, that anything that goes right must have been unable to go wrong. However, I think it would make more sense as the idea that when something does go wrong, it will go as wrong as possible... there are obviously things that go right that have chances to go wrong, as you pointed out. It is quite rare for things to only go minorly wrong when there is a significant chance of them going more drastically wrong, in my own experience anyways. Even so, I think the actual "law" is more accurate than the paraphrase. "If there is a wrong way to do something, then someone will do it." This is almost universally true, as many can testify: I doubt that there is one thing in this world that has only ever been done perfectly. If anyone has some examples that contradict this, I'd love to hear them!


Sense of logic

Post 3

AlgernonPondlife

There are three explanations for things that have gone right.
1. It went right but it would have been better if it hadn't.
2. What seems right for you is wrong for me.
3. You think it went right? - Just wait!


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